MAKING FRIENDS: A Dog Helps in Meeting People

Virtually all the Christian ministry expats send their children to the International Community School. We do spend a lot of effort connecting with "referrals;" friends of friends who are here only a short while. I must say, it is easier to make these connections with a car. I found myself questioning whether I wanted to spend $35+ on taxi fair to just go meet up with someone I'll never see or hear from again since most of these connections never turn into real friendships. These connections rarely come to much more than another name in the address list. Guess it's the nature of being an ex-pat. So many people are transient and you treat most of your relationships like a cocktail party. Jim doesn't seem to mind it, but for the kids and I it's gotten really old.

I have had a once a month prayer group with Kim Burchell and a few other American women - that has been great. And occassionally we see the Griffiths- the family who did the baseball league last year, as well as this new Australian family across the street. We see them a couple times a week now!


August 2002 National Day celebrations in the park across the street.

Thanks to the dog Rascal, who needs a walk in the park 2 times a day, we're starting to recognize familar faces of people in our broader neighborhood who are also out exercising regularly. I've made a decision to look as many in the eye as I can make eye contact with and say, "Good morning" in English or Chinese. Try and get them to smile back. It usually works. And now, a few familiar faces light up and initiate a greeting when they see us!

I was just visiting last night with my artist friend from England. She's caucasian I met here in Tampines early on while I was grocery shopping. She's a bit rough around the edges and I'm always very bold about where my opinions about how we live come from (the Bible and a faith in Jesus). It's nice to have someone here who initiates with me. Her children are grown and she just married her Muslim Singaporean boyfriend who is 15 years younger than she is! She's been here 12 years and has a really bad attitude about the gossipy unfriendly locals, so I was lecturing her: "You can't let them get to you, you must "get to them." Go overboard in being nice and friendly. There's no way these people will ever change unless someone shows them a different way to treat people!"

I've had 2 calls in the past week about acting opprotunities for Tyler and I. One a TV production company that does children's shows and another one that produces short shows that are shown in hospital waiting rooms - Health TV. Supposed to be shows with local humor about hospitals...lighten up the atmosphere. The producers are thrilled that Tyler can speak Chinese and are thinking up ways to use him.

(from an email to Grammy Lynn)